Editorial: Corbett budget inflicts pain on higher education

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Tom Corbett has a problem. Actually, 500 million of them.

And, like it or not, that means every resident of Pennsylvania has a problem as well.

The state is drowning in red ink. Again. The state's fiscal watchdogs are suggesting that come the end of the fiscal year in June, Gov. Corbett and the Legislature could be staring into the abyss of a $500 million shortfall.

Couple that with the echoes of the oft-repeated mantra from Corbett's campaign for the governor's mansion - a vow not to raise taxes - and you have a rather interesting math dilemma.

Actually, what you get is a bare-bones, austere budget like the one Corbett rolled out on Tuesday. The governor is getting pretty good at this; it's the second straight year he slashed spending to make the numbers add up.

Last year it was basic education in the crosshairs, which led in part to the kind of funding crisis that has taken the Chester Upland to the edge of insolvency, and leaves a trail of broke school districts lined up behind them.

This time around Corbett is actually giving a slight increase in the basic education subsidy with one hand, while taking away $100 million in grants often used for kindergarten and other programs with the other.

But the real pain inflicted in this budget is reserved for higher education.

If you go to college in Pennsylvania, either at Penn State or one of its satellite campuses, the state-affiliated universities such as West Chester and Cheyney; or community college such as DCCC, you're going to pay more. In some cases a lot more.

Corbett wants to slash $230 million from Penn State, Pitt and Temple. That's an astounding 25 percent, and comes on the heels of last year's cut of 20 percent. Only Lincoln University in Chester County is spared the budget ax.

It's the same song for the 14 schools in the State System of Higher Education, such as West Chester and Cheyney. They're staring down the barrel of a 20 percent cut.

And the good folks at Delaware County Community College and other community colleges statewide, who offer one of the very best bargains left in higher education in Pennsylvania, will have to make do with 4 percent less in state funding.

Jerry Parker, president of DCCC, lamented the cuts, accurately noting his school is "probably the only option for many of our students."

That's just the point. Many Pennsylvania families with kids either in or approaching college are running out of options when it comes to increasing costs. And make no mistake, these kinds of cuts will translate to higher tuition.

No one is going to argue that Pennsylvania continues to face an uphill economic struggle. Revenue continues to lag behind projections.

Corbett has steadfastly held fast to his campaign promise that he would not raise taxes.

If you're looking for good news in this budget, that's it. There is no general tax hike. Of course, that does not take into account the potential increase at the local level as school boards struggle with red ink of their own, and the almost certain tuition tax hikes.

Which brings us back to Corbett's pledge not to raise taxes. This week a move to slap a "fee" on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale regions of the state gained approval in the state Senate. The state House did likewise Wednesday, but not before Democrats bemoaned that it does not do enough, either for the state's coffers or for the environment.

Corbett can play semantics if he wants and stand by the notion that he's not raising taxes. We'd rather he be honest, take another look at the same kind of tax structure almost every other state slaps on the natural gas industry, and utilize that money to decrease some of these education cuts.

It is also hard to justify ending the fiscal year in June with a $93 million surplus, while inflicting these kinds of onerous cuts on education.

In the meantime, educators will have to fight just for the chance to make their case at budget hearings. The Republican boss of the state Senate Appropriations Committee for some reason does not believe such hearings are necessary this year.

He's wrong. As is Corbett for again inflicting this kind of pain on higher education.

He can continue to parrot how he is not raising taxes.

Then he can try to sell that to Pennsylvania families with kids in college.